1. Technical Field
The embodiments of the disclosure relate to a semiconductor memory apparatus and, more particularly, to an internal voltage generating circuit for use in the semiconductor memory apparatus.
2. Related Art
Generally, a semiconductor memory apparatus generates a voltage required to drive internal circuits of the semiconductor memory apparatus using an external voltage supplied from outside of the semiconductor memory apparatus.
The voltage that is generated in the semiconductor memory apparatus is called an internal voltage and a circuit to generate the internal voltage in the semiconductor memory apparatus is called an internal voltage generating circuit.
The conventional internal voltage generating circuit compares the internal voltage with a reference voltage and carries out a voltage adjustment to increase or decrease the internal voltage based on the comparison result.
Accordingly, the internal voltage generating circuit includes a comparison circuit to compare an internal voltage level with the reference voltage level.
The comparison circuit compares the reference voltage level with the internal voltage level and then outputs an output signal. The output signal is generated as a digital signal that swings between the external voltage level and a ground voltage level.
Furthermore, assuming that the internal voltage generating circuit is a circuit to increase the internal voltage level when the output signal of the comparison circuit is transited to the ground voltage level, it is designed in such a manner that the internal voltage has to be increased as fast as possible to make the internal voltage reach to the target voltage level when the output signal of the comparison circuit is the ground voltage level.
While this internal voltage generating circuit may have an advantage in that internal voltage level is fast increased to the target voltage level, it has a disadvantage in that the internal voltage can be higher than the target voltage because an amount of the increment of the internal voltage is larger.